Pages

Friday, August 12, 2011

Review: Chanel Vitalumiere Foundation

If I could wear only one makeup brand for the rest of my life and only one, it would be Chanel. I own like 4-5 items from them only, but everything I have bought is my favourite and I love wearing their products. It is a luxurious and expensive brand though so I have to limit myself. Recently I had some gifts cards from Apothica (they are a sponsor on this blog) and could pick out anything that I wanted to equal $65 on their website. Of course, I went straight to Chanel. For those in Canada keep in mind that Apothica does not ship Chanel products to Canada, they are Canada Restricted. I had relatives coming from Illinois so I was clever and shipped it to them instead and they gave the products to me when they arrived, it was like Christmas! I got Chanel Vitalumiere and a darker shade in Chanel Pro Lumiere.

I picked up Chanel Vitalumiere in the shade 40 Beige. I wanted 30 Cendre but they didn't have it in stock. I stopped by my Chanel counter at The Bay and swatched the colours and 30 would of been better on me. This is definitely a summer colour for me only, when I am fully tanned (fake tanned/spray tan of course) and even then it's a tad dark in my opinion. According to Temptalia's foundation matrix (super helpful you should check it out) 40 is suited for those NC30 and up.

Chanel Vitalumiere is described as a "Satin Smothing Fluid Makeup" with SPF15. The little pamphlet that came with it goes on to say "bringing a radiantly youthful smooth satin makeup finish and a light, moisturizing texture... your complexion is visibly rested, immediately on application, the photoreflective pigments have an optical smoothing effect. Fine lines and blemishes are softened and your complexion has a visibly more youth appearance, your skin is energized, the presence of an energizing ingredient, derived from brown seaweed, which is renowned for its stimulating properties helps to give the complexion an immediate "healthy glow"."

This foundation feels AMAZING if you have dry skin, it definitely feels moisturizing as the description above states and it has a dewey texture that stays moist feeling on the skin throughout the day. I would suggest this foundation for those with dry-normal skin, definitely will not work for oily skin in my opinion (far too dewy) and those that like light-medium coverage and a glow to the skin. It does not cling to dry areas or emphasize fine lines.

You can hopefully tell in the picture above this foundation has a glow to it. It's very easy to apply, blends very easily into the skin and smells AMAZING. I wore this to a wedding and people commented on my skin that it looked great (it photographs nicely too despite the SPF), I wore it out on a very hot day and I didn't like it however, it felt like it was running down my face the entire day. You can powder this and make it more mattish but I would suggest leaving it as it is to not disturb it's beautifulness. I will definitely reserve this for special occasions. I think it would be a nice foundation for the winter when my skin is very dry, but I will have to get a lighter shade for that, or perhaps mix it with light foundations to make them better on my skin (Vitalumiere is perfect for my skin type).

My only issue with Chanel foundation is their packaging, which is lovely but, not practical. I picked up my bottle from the lid (which is very light compared to the bottle) and accidentally dropped it on my bathroom tile. Thank goodness it only dinged the corner and the foundation itself is intact (or else I would of seriously cried). If the lid itself was heavier it would work much better, so please please be careful, pick up this foundation from the bottom.

Would I recommend this foundation? It's up there with my holy grail foundations for sure. And if you have dry skin, you will love this for a dewy look.

I didn't have much luck when I tried their foundations, but it could be that I wasn't applying properly. I love Chanel so much that I can't live with the idea of their makeup products not being perfect forever and always... I might have to try the Pro Lumiere again!!